Mark Kozelek 'Lost Verses, Live'

Mark Kozelek continues his quest to become known as the most prolific recording artist around at the moment. Since April last year, he has released, by my count, a studio album, a covers album, FOUR live albums including this one and a book with a live EP. A lot of this stuff has been non-essential and just when you get to the point where you think "why am I still buying all these live LPs', 'Lost Verses' makes everything fall into place.

Recorded live at various venues in the U.S and Europe over the last year, 'Lost Verses' feature Kozelek playing his songs on guitar with only second guitarist Phil Carney accompanying him. The cd packaging bills this as a "greatest hits" set, but it is nothing of the sort, there is only one Red House Painters song and eight of the tracks are from last year's 'April' album. Kozelek 'solo' gigs can be hit and miss affairs and it often depends on the venue. I saw him play the Bar Academy in Islington a few years ago and poor sound combined with an audience who were more interested in ordering drinks than listening to the music combined to make it a poor show, but in more refined surroundings, these shows can be pure gold. This is why Kozelek's show at The Union Chapel in July should be excellent and why these recordings, with some from The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia and The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, sound so good.

The songs are clearly recorded and sound so melancholy and stark. Rather than concentrating on individual songs, the record works as one whole piece especially with Kozelek's good humoured (and this isn't always the case when you see him live!) banter between songs. The songs from 'April' work so well like this, 'Heron Blue' is full of tension and 'Harper Road' is warm and homely, sung beautifully by Kozelek. Perhaps best of all is a brief, haunting version of 'Salvadore Sanchez', Kozelek's song about a deceased boxer.

I'm not sure why this album works better than the other live albums he has put out recently, maybe it indicates what a superb record 'April' is, but you'll find yourself playing this again and again and enjoying the flow of the music. It may even be the best introduction to Kozelek's music that there is.

This is music to lose yourself in.

9.0

['Lost Verses' is out now on cd from Caldo Verde, it will be released in June on vinyl with a free EP of bonus tracks. Kozelek plays The Union Chapel in July.]

various bits of news about T&G friendly artists.

- Mark Kozelek is continuing his attempt to break Pearl Jam's record for the highest number of live albums released in a career. By my reckoning he released three live albums last year and two the year before and now he is releasing two more in the next month!

'Lost Verses live' was recorded during his 2007/2008 solo tour....which means yet another solo live album with lots of guitar picking. Surely it is time for a full band Sun Kil Moon live album? Either way the track listing here is very tempting:

1. Unlit Hallway
2. Carry Me Ohio
3. Four Fingered Fisherman
4. Moorestown
5. Salvador Sanchez
6. Heron Blue
7. Lost Verses
8. Tiny Cities
9. Lucky Man
10. Send In The Clowns
11. Harper Road
12. Tonight In Bilbao
13. Blue Orchids
14. Katy Song

That is released on April 1 on Caldo Verde...as is a completely un-necessary but free (if you buy 'Lost Verses live') live album named 'Find Me Ruben Olivares- live in Spain' which has such a similar track listing that I won't bother typing it out. In other Koz news, all-time classic Red House Painters album 'Songs For A Blue Guitar' is releases on vinyl for the first time in May.

- Former Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle releases an album which has a title that I can't believe hasn't already been a Grandaddy album title on May 19th...'Yours Truly, The Commuter'. T&G should be hearing a track from that later on, so will report back.

- My disappointment at missing M. Ward's two recent London gigs has been slightly eased by the news that he plays Shepherds Bush Empire on June 30th. Tickets available...hang on.....now!

more news and a Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album review, coming soonish.

Mark Kozelek 'The Finally LP'

For someone who could barely get round to releasing a new album every couple of years when with Red House Painters, Mark Kozelek has become prolific since starting his own label. In 2008 alone we had a new Sun Kil Moon album...with a bonus cd, a live EP, a book...with a bonus cd and now this collection of rarities.

'The Finally LP', mysteriously named since it is only released on cd and download, is bookended by two original instrumentals, all the songs in between are solo covers collected from various compilations Kozelek has appeared on through the years.

Highlights include a version of Low's 'Lazy' with passionate vocals and a lovely rendition of Kath Bloom's 'Finally' which sounds like a song from Sun Kil Moon's 'Tiny Cities' album. A stripped down version of 'Send In The Clowns' is Kozelek by numbers and less essential, as is the short, self-explanatory 'Bedtime Lullaby'. The instrumentals are both pretty and their guitar-picking sound will be familiar to anyone who has attended a solo Kozelek gig.

The overall feel of this record is a warm, laid back sound. The songs fit together reasonably well, despite being recorded at different times for different projects. This is, however, a full price release and paying £13 (as I did from a UK indie shop) for 30 minutes of music, most of which has been released before, is a big ask for anyone who isn't a Kozelek completist. A nice listen but not essential.

6/10

['The Finally LP' is out now on cd and download from Caldo Verde. UK fans are best advised to buy direct from the record company, as the price works out cheaper.]

Mark Kozelek '7 Songs Belfast'

This year's Sun Kil Moon 'April' LP seems to have created some controversy amongst fans and reviewers alike. TracksandGigs gave it a 9.0 and I was surprised to see some negative reviews and comments elsewhere. In retrospect it is an even better record than I thought at the time. It is also very much a record out of time though- these days people seem to want handy mp3s and downloads and the desire for a cohesive album that works from start to finish and makes sense if listened to all the way through just doesn't seem to be as strong as it once was. Sad that people don't seem to think they have the time to devote to giving a 70 minute piece of music the attention it deserves.

Anyway. In advance of his tour with Sun Kil Moon this Autumn, Mark Kozelek has released a 7 song live EP. Bizarrely, despite the title, it contains six songs recorded in Belfast and one in Manchester, all last Autumn.

The songs are all vocals/guitar and the track listing is a good mix of old, new and borrowed. Its great to hear Kozelek sing John Denver's 'Around and Around' again and a re-worked version of 'Gentle Moon' from 'Ghosts of the Great Highway' is another highlight. Ultimately, if you are a fan of Koz, you will be glad to purchase what is effectively an added bonus to last year's 'Little Drummer Boy' live album. Mark has a beautiful singing voice, there is simply no denying that and as a document of a night at a solo Kozelek gig, this works perfectly.

One for the fans then and if you want to hear full band renditions of songs from all phases of Koz's career, you'd be well advised to purchase tickets for this Autumn's Sun Kil Moon European tour. TracksandGigs will be there for one show and having seen a full-band gig from SKM back in 2004, I am very excited indeed.

8.0

'7 Songs Belfast' is out now on download from http://www.caldoverderecords.com
You get the cd free if you buy anything else from the Kozelek store AND the cd will be on sale at the Autumn dates. Just you try and find an excuse for not buying one...

Sun Kil Moon 'April'

It has already been an amazing year for music and its still only March. It is one of those years when all of my favourite artists seem to be releasing records and I can hardly believe that already I have had albums to review by Tindersticks, American Music Club, Mountain Goats and Stephen Malkmus.

Just when things couldn't get better, Mark Kozelek releases a new record too. I've been a fan of Kozelek since his run of amazing albums with Red House Painters on 4AD in the early 90s. Since then, with the last RHP record (which was effectively Koz's first solo venture) and his first release as Sun Kil Moon, Kozelek has matured into a consumate singer songwriter. 2003's 'Ghosts of the Great Highway' was a simply magnificent record, mixing beautiful acoustic ballads with Neil Young styled guitar epics, it was the best album of Kozelek's career and a hard act to follow.

He has taken five years to do that. In between he has released a solo live album and an album of Modest Mouse covers that was a delight, probably to all but fans of the band he covered. 'April' though, is the true Sun Kil Moon follow up and is a quite formidable album, clocking in at 74 minutes and containing several ten minute songs. It is no album to play to anyone new to Kozelek's work and requires dedication and perseverance from the listener.

Like most of Mark's work it focuses on lyrical themes of memories, dreams and reminiscing. Ten minute opener 'Lost Verses' sees Kozelek wandering the streets of San Francisco looking in on old friends over a nagging acoustic melody.

"I haunt the streets of San Francisco
Watch over loved ones and old friends
I see them through their living room windows
Shaken by fear and worry
I want them to know how I love them so"

It sounds instantly familiar, maybe because it is seemingly a companion piece to 'Have You Forgotten' from RHP's 'Songs For a Blue Guitar'. It is beautifully played, unhurried and understated and a highlight.

'Lucky Man' is similarly evocative, this time describing the sights, sounds and memories of Kozelek's time growing up in Ohio. It begins a run of gentle songs with beautiful guitar playing and singing, including the love song 'Moorestown' and the haunting, mesmorising 'Heron Blue'.

The album changes direction slightly with 'Tonight The Sky', an astonishing ten minute riff-driven number, which sounds like Magnolia Electric Co and ends with a superb guitar drone/feedback section. It cannot be quite as good as the unbelievable 'Duk Koo Kim' from 'Ghosts of the Great Highway' but it is close. The mood changes again with 'Like The River', one of the shortest songs on the album and certainly the most country-sounding. It benefits from its simplicity though and from perfectly fitting backing vocals from Bonnie Prince Billy.

'Ghosts of the Great Highway' ended with spanish guitar on 'Si Paloma' and 'Pancho Villa' and this record does the same with closer 'Blue Orchids' which features a lovely instrumental section at the end.

I haven't mentioned every song here and in truth a couple of the mid pace songs such as 'The Light' and 'Tonight In Bilbao' lag a little but there is certainly no filler here. 'April' is an extremely well written record and is in fact something of a singer-songwriter masterclass. It requires several listens before the melodies and lyrics start to unravel and the songs become familiar but listeners will be rewarded for their dedication as this is the work of an accomplished songwriter not afraid to take risks. Kozlelek has produced a stunning set of songs here that will stand the test of time.

9.0

'April' is out now on digital download from Calo Verde Records and out on Monday on CD.